Afternoon:
14°c
Hammer gang returns to raid high street jeweller
Danny Brierley23.04.09
A notorious “smash and grab” motorcycle gang has staged a raid on a hotel in the heart of Knightsbridge.
The gang struck shortly after midnight yesterday at the Sheraton Park Tower hotel in Lowndes Square.
Six men wielding sledgehammers leapt from three high-powered motorbikes and ran into the hotel. They threatened the night concierge and smashed cabinets and glass windows in the hotel's shop before escaping with thousands of pounds worth of watches and jewellery.
The raid is the latest in a string of attacks on jewellers and fashion stores. As many as 50 people — mainly teenagers — are believed to be involved in several loosely associated gangs behind the attacks.
On Tuesday afternoon a group raided a jewellers in St John's Wood High Street four weeks after shopkeepers there ditched a private security firm because of the downturn.
Six men wearing combat clothing and riding three mopeds used sledgehammers to force their way past staff at Vadgama Joailliers and fled with watches, rings, picture frames and other items worth tens of thousands of pounds. No arrests have been made.
Shopowners in the street had been paying a private firm £100,000 a year to patrol the area after repeated raids. A children's clothes shop, a shop that sells handbags, and women's and men's clothes shops have all been robbed several times in the past two years.
However, the security firm, 1st Class Protection, was told its services were no longer required last month.
About 10 of the high street's independent stores were contributing to the cost.Gary Vanger, owner of Square One men's and women's fashion shops, said: “My men's shop has been done nine times in the past nine years. The police cannot catch them, they are so professional, they don't stand a chance.
“They used to do the robberies at night but now because everybody spent money on putting better shutters and stronger glass in, they come during the day. Nothing will stop them.
“The security firm was working, though. We had to stop it because some people were sick of the cost.”
Some of the shops have asked for an meeting with the company which owns their buildings to find a solution.
Reader views (7)
They should employ ex WWF wrestlers to work in their stores.
- Charlie, Oxted, Surrey
Dave, as you're in Cumbria I imagine you must be unaware that Boris Johnson as Mayor of London doesn't actually have any jurisdiction over sentencing.
- Roy, England
The guy who comments about the parking is correct, I was driving through Bryanstan Square W1 last Sunday evening about 9 pm, there was 1 car, yes 1 car parked on the South side of the square, and there was a parking warden standing there putting a ticket on the car, clearly his mission was to keep London moving.
- Steve M, London
"A Metropolitan Police spokesman said the robbers kept their helmets on to prevent their faces being filmed by CCTV cameras."
Whoever would have thought of doing that to avoid detection?
- Reuben Camara, Morecambe/Lancaster
The robbers might have stolen goods that could have been sold for a considerable amount of money but whether they were worth a considerable amount of money is another matter.
- Jack Spratt, Richmond, England
More real police in and around London, fast, Boris.
And please, please, please continue your expeditious common sense trailblazing by returning some 'plain English' sanity to judicial sentencing to [begin with]our capital.
Boris, reintroduce real and effective 'deterrant sentencing' and reinstate 'actual sentences' that really mean what they say, asap.
- Dave, Cumbria
Maybe these shopkeepers should hire the police to protect and patrol the street. With a police station just off there high street i am sure they could get a reasonable rate from them.
- Mr S.Port, London
